The Nine Nights Ritual

For the Sustenance and Protection of the Recently Dead

Copyright © 2018 by Robin Artisson

Written for the Folk of the Circle of the White Stag

And for anyone who is facing the task of enduring the
Death-transition of a loved one, friend, or kin

***

For many years, I have used the ritual expression described in this document as a way of not only
mourning for those human and other-than-human beings that death parted me from, but also of
helping their transitioning breath souls and free souls to have an easier passage between this
breathing condition of ordinary life, and the stranger (but no less natural) condition I know that
they come to inhabit beyond.

This ritual is perhaps one of the oldest rituals in my entire repertoire, one that I was engaging in
long before the larger body of my known works (and my unpublished body of works) ever existed.
I have lost count of how many times I have actually performed it, and of the number of times
people came to me seeking a ritual like this to use for themselves, in their own difficult times. I
have always, in the past, given instructions to people, so that they could accomplish their own
version of this rite. I decided that formally writing it down now could only help me to bring my
thoughts and experiences together in one place, honoring this long past, but help others who will
come to me in the future still seeking this information. My community Cylgh An Carow Gwyn also
might be helped by having this ritual at their fingertips, for it is based on the same familiar and
enduring bedrock of impulses and principles that the True Old Ways sits upon.

It is also fitting that I write this down on this day- December 18, 2018- as the great solstice-season
(which my European ancestors called the Yuletide, and the indigenous peoples of this land called
The Feast of Dreams) arises in power. This season is about the closeness of the eldritch world, the
immanent power of the Unseen, generous honor paid to all spirits, and the return or closeness of
the dead. In this regard, it is parallel to the old beliefs and customs tied to Samhain by other
Ancestors. But it is The Feast of Dreams to me, because of where I live, and the spiritual
connections I have here. No matter what we call it, it binds us all as a time in which we make a
special opening to face the deeper realities that are the timeless eternal scaffolding of our
ordinary, time-bound lives.

Writing this is an act of devotion to my deepest principles and beliefs. It is an act of help and aid to
all human beings who need it. It is an act of compassion and aid to all of those who die and
wander the strange landscapes beyond breathing life. I will endeavor to make this work as
available as I can, in every place that I can.

The Basic Principles of the Nine Nights Ritual

The Nine Nights Ritual is a vigil that lasts for nine nights. Ideally, the first night it is done (the
night it begins) is the night the person in question has died, or the night following the day that
they died. If necessary, the ritual can begin a few days after they have died- for even today, we
don't always receive news of a death until a while later.

The metaphysical understandings behind this ritual require that the vigil begin, if not on the same
day or night the person died, then at least within 3-5 days of their death. If longer has passed, this
rite should not be used; other kinds of offerings should be given instead.

The number nine is, as always, significant here. Nine months in the womb allowed a human
person to transition into this world; the Nine Nights of this vigil represent a "reverse transition"
back into the Unseen, to the condition that was before the womb. Even though this numerological
consideration is based on a very human reality, the same number of vigil-nights is used for non-
human beings (such as beloved animal members of a family) that are undergoing their own
transition.

The basic idea of the ritual is that the breath soul, when it is breathed out for a final time, remains
near to the body of the deceased, and maintains a connection to the free soul or the dreaming soul
of the deceased. In this condition, the dead person still has certain trace perceptions of the world,
some more lucid than others, alongside visionary experiences of many varieties. One of the
visionary encounters I believe they have is a meeting with the entities who have followed them or
protected them in life. This meeting will lead to a journey of sorts, in which the transition between
this ordinary life and the deeper condition beyond occurs.

This journey or transition may come with some difficulties. Difficulties or challenges are always a
possibility, owing to the highly complex nature of relationship systems, life-events that created
various bonds and debts, and a person's connections to the breathing world. Ideally, a deceased
person enters the visionary condition, is able to understand what is happening to them, accepts
guidance, and without much trouble completes the journey.

One of the things the Nine Nights Ritual hopes to accomplish is protection for the deceased against
any dangers or challenges that might lurk for them in this state. It has a protective, re-assuring
function. One of the ways it helps the most is in giving tangible food and drink offerings, which
contain a just-as-tangible essence that the deceased can literally absorb or gain power from, which
make them stronger and more stabilized in their condition. The ritual also provides a candle on
each night it is done- a candle-flame that symbolizes warmth and comfort. Like the food and
drink, it is intended to make their state more pleasant and effortless.

In general, the newly-released breath soul and dreaming soul finally "separate" at the end of this
symbolic Nine Nights period. When exactly this separation truly occurs is beyond our ability to
know with any certainty. Some of the deceased may shed that connection between the breathing
soul (and all the connections it implies to the mortal life now ended) and the dreaming soul (the
timeless awareness principle of the person) earlier than what we breathing beings experience as
nine nights; some may keep that connection for considerably longer.

Our Nine Nights period is the best we can do to make sure offerings and the warmth of candle-
light are given to them around the time of their deaths, which will always be a potent moment for
any person. The death moment is the cosmological moment in which the line that really divides
seen from unseen, and surface from depths, is breached or parted, before it falls away into a
dream-like meaninglessness to the dead.

One of the main principles that this ritual is based on, is the idea that the recently deceased have
some degree of connection to the breathing world, and an expanded capacity to sense certain
aspects of the breathing world, particularly parts of the world that they were strongly connected
to while they breathed. One thing that they were strongly bonded with was their name, and thus,
their name-soul. To say the name aloud of the recently deceased is to attract their attention, no
matter where you are relative to their location of death.
The means by which the offerings of food, drink, and candlelight are "gotten" to the recently dead
is precisely through this use of their name: when the offerings are "put out", their names are
intoned three times out-loud. After the name is called, other words said to them can also (on some
level) be sensed or perceived. This is probably why the old tradition of not speaking ill of the dead
exists, in nearly every culture I know of. The name-soul persists, especially between the people
that the deceased knew in life, and shared the things and places of life with. It is a pylon of force
and identity that the dead maintain perhaps for a very long while.

If you do speak the name of a dead person aloud in the few weeks after they have died (and really,
respectfully, perhaps at any point after) it is best to speak gently or fondly of them. If an enemy
has died, it may be wisest to not say their name at all, except in extraordinary circumstances. This
careful use of language, and this appeal to the ancient concept of the name-soul, might be seen as
a gentlemanly or gentlewomanly aspect of living the True Old Ways.

The Vision of the Ghost Roads

The very basic idea- the aesthetic image-sequence- that underlies this ritual expression is as
follows:

A dying person is laying in their dying place, their deathbed or the place where they will surrender
the breath soul and begin their transition. When the breath leaves for the final time, it (the breath
soul) hovers near the body, still maintaining its connection to the free soul, which is itself still
connected to the bones of the body. The oxygen that remains in the blood of the deceased body
also allows the departed breath soul to feel temporarily connected to its former body.

The body is not to be mishandled or crudely/roughly handled in this time, the first few hours after
death, and up to three days after death, if possible. To whatever extent it is possible, the body
should be well treated. This first 24-72 hours after death is the final time of strong connection
between the breath soul and the body.

The breath soul begins to weaken the moment it is exhaled for the last time. It begins to fade.
During life it vitalized the body through respiration, but it also received from the body and the free
soul a sense of purpose and identity. It received a stabilization from the tangible body. Without
that, it begins to transform back into the "wind of the world"- the atmospheric/windy
phenomenon that it was drawn from in the first place. It will eventually de-personalize and vanish
completely, unless some extraordinary power beyond our easy human comprehension intervenes
to preserve it, which is a topic I discuss in An Carow Gwyn.
The majority of released breath souls will not be preserved in the sense I mean here. Further,
there is no real need that all breath souls be so preserved. It is completely natural to breathe
through life, and for the breath to return to the wind and sky in death. The free soul- the true
timeless matrix of what we call "persons", is not hindered by the loss of connection to the breath-
soul. It moves on in its own mysterious way, potent, intelligent, sensing, and communicating, as I
believe it always has.

The breath soul which has just been released hovers near the body, often in a trance. It is still
connected in ways to the body and free soul. It may have visions, see and hear things. It may feel
like it is in a deep dream, or completely asleep. It may not realize much for a shorter or longer
while, before something gains its attention, or deeper processes and relationships "wake it up", to
begin its new range of sensing and transforming.

Throughout this process of transforming, the breath soul is slowly fading, and the deeper free soul
is coming to the forefront. Deeper perceptions are awakening. Stranger things that we breathing
people cannot really understand are emerging. Unless (as I said) some other kind of extraordinary
intervention happens, this process will continue until the breath soul is no more, and the free soul
is truly in full lucidity, just as it was before it borrowed from the matrix of a mother to express
itself as a body and inhale a breath soul at birth.

And it is this transition that our ritual here hopes to help. It is love, kinship, or another kind of
close bond that inspires us to do this ritual, to play a role in helping our loved ones in these
transitional encounters, in much the same way a mother (and other kin) may have helped them to
endure the transitional encounters (the sensations, feelings, dreams, and visions) that led to their
breathing life. This is an act of kinship, an act of love, an act of solidarity, re-affirming the bonds
we had and felt in breathing life with this person. It is a sacred duty, in my mind.

After a while of hovering near the body, the consciousness principle of the deceased (the breath
soul/free soul in union) will begin to move around, and wander. It may experience the world as a
strange hybrid of the Unseen and the ordinary world it knew; it may have only dim impressions,
or perhaps crystal-clear, lucid visions. This will vary from person to person, and on the conditions
of their death. How they lived may also impact their readiness and clarity in this state.

At any rate, it happens; they wander, and it is at this point that they are especially "reactive" to
people saying their names aloud. They may naturally stay near places that were familiar to them,
or persons they loved- or, in more tragic circumstances, they may be near to people they hated.
The point here is that their emotional bonds may influence them to go from place to place, or
person to person.
This task becomes harder to maintain as connection to this ordinary world fades. At some point, it
is my belief, as it was the belief of many of my ancient Ancestors, that the "Follower"- the spirit
(or perhaps spirits) who accompanied and protected a person through life- will express their
presence to the deceased, and attempt to carry them beyond, or aid their transition. The
appearance of psychopomps or psychopompic beings at this stage is (of course) a belief which is
ancient beyond reckoning. It is a belief I think is metaphysically justified, and in which we can take
firm assurance and comfort.

This entire state, and all of these possible experiences I have been describing, is a condition I have
always called the Ghost Roads. This is, of course, based on the traditional existence of the corpse-
ways or corpse-roads or funeral roads of Old Europe. To be on the Ghost Roads is to be in the
transitional condition between breathing life "here above" and the timeless/dreaming world of the
dead "below", in the Underworld, or in the Unseen. In old Germanic Heathen terms, this would be
the Helvegen, the road to Hel, or the Underworld.

A point will come when the dead have transitioned into "whatever dreams may come", beyond our
ordinary comprehension. We call them the "deceased" and the "dead", but this is only a term of
social convenience. As released breath souls, free souls, and transformed beings, they live just as
much as we live, only in a new manner, in a new continuum of experiences and realities. And that
continuum is hardly a distant thing, or an alien one; it only seems alien or strange to the breath
soul struggling to over-rationalize it.

In truth, it exists at the heart of all of our ordinary experiences here in this life. It is a deep and
intimate state that none of us can ever be separated from, not even when we're living and in full
unawareness of it, or denial of it.

We create positive and comforting conditions for the newly-released souls of our deceased with
our Nine Nights Ritual, and in time, deeper natural processes and relationships do the rest. The
seasons come and go; the spirits beyond sometimes come into breathing life; those breathing in
life sometimes go back into to the spirits. It is all a huge natural turning wheel of timeless
exchange and grace.

There is no evil to be found in any of it; there is only the grief of being parted from those we loved.
And while grief is surely felt as an evil or a very undesirable thing, we might be helped greatly in
recognizing that grief is itself a form of love; grief is a love that can no longer be expressed as
strongly as we want to express it, or a love that can't be expressed (we fear) in a satisfying way
ever again. Grief is the cost and the risk of real relationships. We may rightly fear it, but we can
never be completely safe from it, because living without meaningful relationships is not an option.
No human can thrive, nor perhaps even survive long, in such a way.
We do what we do with the Nine Nights Ritual, and the offerings we provide aid the deceased in
their journey. It may be that our words and gifts to their released souls help to orient them that
they have died at all; and at some point (from us, and from other deeper powers) they have what
they need to make their crossing.

No longer (as the ancient Greeks may have said) will they hover on the shady banks of the great
river separating this world from the beyond, but to cross over that line dividing and seek their
new home, the next branch of their destiny on this great turning wheel of being born, living,
dreaming, dying, and all the strange insights that might be born from those things.

They will become, eventually, Fayerie- one way or the other; they will become associated with the
strange, fateful forces beyond death. They will enjoy their lot in that condition, and the vast
majority will (I think, following in line with folklore) enjoy it quite a bit. It is a return to another
deeper branch of the family of life. As we help them in this, so we hope to be helped.

Performing the Ritual of the Nine Nights

Though this ritual is based on the metaphysics of the Ancient Fayerie Faith, and upon older
patterns in mythology and folk-belief, it can still be done by anyone, of any background or
orientation. It is organic and thus (to a great degree) quite customizable to the conditions in a
person's life and situation. No two deaths will really be the same, and no two lives are, either. This
ritual is very basic, as good and organic things should be. This may be why it has such a wide
potential applicability to so many people.

If you can, it helps to have a picture of the deceased person. Put that picture in a frame, and set it
up in a quieter or appropriate place in your dwelling or home. You'll need nine candles (of any
size), and a plate or bowl, and a cup to do this rite. If you do not have a picture of the deceased,
that is very fine; it is not required. But you still need the candles, the bowl/plate, and cup. And you
need a fairly secure and quiet place to keep these things safely unmolested for nine nights.

This ritual can be done outdoors, too, if you prefer. You won't be using a picture of the deceased if
you work outdoors, unless you want to include it. If you can do this ritual outdoors at the place
where they will be buried, or at a place where their remains will rest, it's stronger that way, but
that too is not necessary. If you will be doing this work outdoors, you will need a way to shield
your candle, as in a candle holder or a jar, or a lantern.

I will describe the basic form of this ritual first, and then talk about elaborations that others can
bring in, if they have access to the special resources for those elaborations. But only the basic form
of this ritual is necessary in any way. Elaborations are nice, and potent, but ultimately only this
basic form is required. It helps completely.

If you are working indoors, have the things you'll be using in your chosen place. Start on sundown
on the night following the death of the person, or anytime in the night if it's the same night they
died. For the food offering in your bowl or plate, put bread, cakes, cheese, butter, any fresh fruit,
cooked fatty meats, root vegetables, or any combination of them. In the cup, put water, milk,
beer/ale, whisky or rum, fresh fruit juices, coffee or tea (herbal or otherwise.) You can sweeten
any drink with honey if you like. If you prepared a meal that night, you can put a serving from
whatever you prepared in the bowl or plate. Light the candle.

Settle your mind and body as much as you can. Take a few moments. Then call the name of the
deceased three times clearly aloud. If you can, (this is optional) include their mother's maiden
name, and say it this way: "John Smith, who was given life by Anne Johnson." (Obviously these
are sample names; replace them with the names you need.)

If you don't have the mother's maiden name, just say their name clearly aloud three times. Include
their middle name if you have it.

Then say "Look here, X- I have this food for your nourishment, this drink for your thirst,
and this fire for your comfort. Take them. Be nourished, be satisfied, be comforted."

And then you must say aloud your own words for them, assuming that they can hear or perceive
you on some level. Tell them that you love them, or that you want them to be well. You can
explain that they have died, and are beginning (or undergoing) their transition-journey into the
deeper world, from which we all came. You can tell them that it's okay to take their journey, that
they can trust the beings that appear to them and offer to help them. You can tell them to be
unafraid of any visions they see that bother them, and assure them that they are safe, or will be
well.

Or you can say what you most want to say to them. This is your time, and you should say what
you feel the need to say. You may weep during this time, and that is fine too; but try to gently
control how much grief you display during this rite. Excessive grief (though there is no universal
standard for what qualifies as "excessive") was thought in older days to potentially trouble the
dead. Honest tears will never be a problem, and you may have many. Let them come out, and
focus on your task of compassionately trying to help this loved one to have an easy time during
their transition.

If you were very close to the deceased, and feel like you might not be able to "make it through" a
ritual like this, it is perfectly acceptable (and suggested) that you get a close friend or kinsman to
do the ritual for you, while you stand at their side. Reaching out for help in this way is very
healthy, and a beautiful display of how humans are intended to exist together.

If you are one of the Fayerie Faithful, you can pray aloud (or inside yourself) to the Ancestors of
this person to come and guide them, to help them. You can ask the Fayerie King and Queen to
notice this person's transition, and send their serving-beings to help them.

Then, after a few moments of silence (or as much silence as you need) slowly walk away, leave the
candle burning for as long as you like. If it can be safely allowed to burn all night or burn out, let
it. If you want to come back in 4-5 hours and blow it out, that is fine. If it really can't be left
burning, then wait a few minutes and blow it out. At sunrise, take the food and drink away and
pour them/put them out under a tree somewhere, or just leave them on the ground somewhere
out of the way.

Repeat this for nine nights in a row. You can do your offering at sunset each day, or later in the
night if you like, but try to do it before midnight, regardless. On the tenth morning, after your
ninth offering/vigil, after you've disposed of the food and drink, take the picture you used of the
person (assuming you used one) and bury it. If it's the only one you have of them, naturally you
shouldn't do that, but if you can, bury the picture, or burn it in a fire. This represents their final
transition into the deep or into the Great Below. It also ends your rite.

If you are doing this ritual outdoors, you will be leaving a burning candle in a jar or lantern or
something at the site of your work. Make sure you're leaving it safely, and in a place where you
are allowed to do so. This "corpse candle", when seen from a distance as a point of light hovering
in the darkness, represents the soul of the deceased. It is a sacred sight which should be
contemplated with reverence.

Outdoors rites can (if you desire and have the ability) also feature a fire, in lieu of a candle. Making
a fire (and tending it a while) before allowing it to burn out on its own brings this ritual to a more
primal feeling place. The candle itself is already symbolic of a warm fire. A special fire made in an
indoors hearth can also be used.

Elaborations on the Ritual

Those who are sorcerous practitioners, or who have access to An Carow Gwyn, can use one of the
Key Invocations in that book to literally conjure special help for the deceased. Using a breaching
charm from that book can also be a powerful adjunct to this ritual; I personally do a breaching
charm on my first night, in front of the candle and the offerings, but not on the following eight
nights.
If you wish to use a Key Invocation to summon special aid, simply perform the invocation
following the instructions given in that book, and when your time comes to ask for what you
desire, explain to the powers attracted to that invocation that you want the soul of this deceased
person to be given special protection and guidance through the transition they are presently
undergoing, including the power to easily overcome any obstacle or fear they encounter. You only
need to do this once, usually on the first night, but no more than that.

These things are not necessary; the basic rite is very complete in its power just the way it's given.
This ritual doesn't rely on elaborate means or tools; what gives it the power to work is your
organic and emotional connection to the souls of the deceased. What powers it is that kind of
connection, mingled with the real vital essence in your offerings, and the power of your own
breath-soul to make meaningful words and sounds.

Any other things you may wish to do- other gifts, other offerings, etc- are quite fine. This ritual
can be done with a whole group of people who take turns saying things to the deceased after a
rite-leader calls the name of the deceased and "presents" the food, drink, and flame. This rite is
infinitely customizable, owing to its simplicity. I would simply never allow my own rites to become
too complicated, for that takes attention and emotional focus off the dead, and puts it too much on
the rite.

May every suffering and grieving person come to peace, and have the privilege of helping their
loved ones to make the ultimate transition. May all of the wandering dead find the road open and
peaceful, leading them to their deeper home. And may all of us, living in the bosom of so many
invisible (yet powerful) bonds of emotion and kinship be united one day, in the timeless and
perfect way beyond our breathing understanding.